For years, there have been documented cases of UFO sightings around the world - Buenos Aires, Seoul, France, Germany, China. But in 2011, what were once just sightings will become a terrifying reality when Earth is attacked by unknown… MoreFor years, there have been documented cases of UFO sightings around the world - Buenos Aires, Seoul, France, Germany, China. But in 2011, what were once just sightings will become a terrifying reality when Earth is attacked by unknown forces. As people everywhere watch the world's great cities fall, Los Angeles becomes the last stand for mankind in a battle no one expected. It's up to a Marine staff sergeant (Aaron Eckhart) and his new platoon to draw a line in the sand as they take on an enemy unlike any they've ever encountered before. -- (C) Sony

Case in point: Battle: Los Angeles, an alien-invasion disaster piece so loud, ham-fisted and joyless-so aggressively lousy-that its only real usefulness is to make one better appreciate the deft touch of a Roland Emmerich.

If the talk had been surgically removed, leaving only the sights and sounds of combat, this could have been a striking, semiabstract display of aggressive energy; as it is, any viewer over twelve will go for the laughs.

Well I went in not expecting a great super movie. What I got was 2 hours of Halo :) A combination of Black Hawk Down style war movie with Halo aliens. It was a… MoreWell I went in not expecting a great super movie. What I got was 2 hours of Halo :) A combination of Black Hawk Down style war movie with Halo aliens. It was a solid fun two hours. I enjoyed it. Many others will not but for me I looked past the cliched characters to just enjoy the action and the explosions. It was a fun sci-fi action ride. Go in with high expectations and you may be disappointed. Go in with your eyes on some popcorn fun and you will be delightfully surprised.

Directors Cat

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So after you've glanced at the poster, you really don't need a synopsis… More[img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img]
So after you've glanced at the poster, you really don't need a synopsis to explain what the film is about. So I won't go into plot details on the basis that if you consider watching this film, you probably know what to expect, if not, this movie really isn't for you. Personally I felt very skeptic at the thought of the idea of actually enjoying Battle: Los Angeles. But I actually kinda liked it. Entirely despite the fact that there is a lengthy list in my mind that argue that the film is an absolute disgrace. There are many problems with Battle LA, certainly not the least of which is that it exists, at all. Because we've seen movies like this many times before and to it's disadvantage does choose to come across as a formulaic rip-off. But essentially it is an absolute cluster of every war film and alien invasion movie pretty much ever made. Imagine Independence Day and Black Hawk Down having a lovechild, it's this movie. The editing is also flawed in various places, and the CGI special effects are sometimes very unconvincing. The direction is also pretty damn adequate and director Jonathan Liebesman should be very greatful to have the budget he has, because a lot of outstanding film makers never get close to having the money he has at his disposal here. However I was in a bad mood when I watched this film and I found it to be strangely uplifting and entertaining. Aaron Eckhart's lead performance is decent enough and unlike other diaster epic's such as Independence Day the cliche's it constantly relies on never get too cheesy, dull or boring. I've seen many full on special effects movies of the last few years i've absolutely hated, but this one is never boring all the way through. It get's too repetitive eventually but overall it is what it is, and I knew what I was going to get watching it, a movie entirely reliant on special effects. But I have to admit to enjoying it's company. To put it simply, it's better than a Michael Bay alien, robot invasion movie, but not as good as a hard-hitting Ridley Scott war epic.

Albert Kim

SHABLOOIEEE! BLAMMMMM MICHAEL BAYBOOM EXPLOSIONSSSSS! It's well shot but definitely felt restricted. Action was kinda entertaining and the CGI was lacking.… MoreSHABLOOIEEE! BLAMMMMM MICHAEL BAYBOOM EXPLOSIONSSSSS! It's well shot but definitely felt restricted. Action was kinda entertaining and the CGI was lacking. The dialogue equivalent with that of many Call of Duty games. Way too long.

Edward Boxler

Here it is kids! The first video game movie. No, not video game based movie; the first video game movie. Two hours of you running around in a deserted… MoreHere it is kids! The first video game movie. No, not video game based movie; the first video game movie. Two hours of you running around in a deserted battlefield that was once Los Angeles fighting aliens Call of Duty style. The aliens have no personality. They're just moving targets who shoot at you so you can shoot them. Only problem is you don't get to play a movie.
Someone in Hollywood saw War of the Worlds and then Black Hawk Down. Soon enough, a light went off in that person's head, who would then scream, "wouldn't it be awesome if a movie was made just like Black Hawk Down, but instead of Somalis as bad guys, we put in aliens?!" Well, here is that movie.
Battle LA is every single war movie cliche thrown into one. It's central character is the disgraced war sergeant who will get a chance to redeem himself. Everyone else is cannon fodder, pawns to get blown up so the movie can show you the brutality of war. Two hours of soldiers shooting at aliens you barely see, edited together in a chaotic fashion to give you that "you are there" feel, but also so you can't tell what the hell is going on. Yaawwn.
The script must have been the easiest thing to write, since every scene contains many shouts of "Move!" "Watch out!" "Keep shooting!" and the like. Also, the film's lame attempt to sympathize with the enemy comes out in one soldier's laughable statement, "they're just like us. Forced to follow orders."
This two hour gunfight is supposed to be a metaphor for modern war, except how do you take that seriously when the war is against fantastical creatures like aliens. Symbolism doesn't work here, because the movie tries too hard to be super-realistic. If you want to see a film about war, watch the infinitely better Hurt Locker. Hell, go straight to the source, watch Black Hawk Down. But not Battle Los Angeles. This movie is shit.

Kevin M. Williams

A typical story: battle-hardened vet teaches baby blue Marines the real meaning of Semper Fi! and Hoo-rah! ... only updated as they fight the damned alien… MoreA typical story: battle-hardened vet teaches baby blue Marines the real meaning of Semper Fi! and Hoo-rah! ... only updated as they fight the damned alien scourge in L.A. A time passer is all.

Anders Gatten

Alien invasion movies have a tendency to be... well... bad. None of them seem to get it just right. They focus too much on the wrong things and they usually are… MoreAlien invasion movies have a tendency to be... well... bad. None of them seem to get it just right. They focus too much on the wrong things and they usually are way too long for their own good. Over the years they have gone from low budget B-Movies to over budget summer blockbusters, but they still can't seem to get into their groove. The way I see it is that they probably never will, but what they can do is give a breath of fresh air into the genre. A good example of this is 2009's District 9, which changed the whole concept of alien invasion into a more realistic style. Aliens living in slums, considered as lesser being to humans. This made me realize that the real way to go about making a good alien invasion film is by making it realistic. This is pretty ironic because the whole concept of alien invasion films are pretty unrealistic. Still, it works, and apparently Battle Los Angeles took the same lesson and applied it to its Black Hawk Down-meets-Indepence Day style invasion film. But does it help or hinder it?
The film is about a group of soldiers that are called to L.A. to help an evacuation when fast moving U.F.O.'s are spotted heading towards the cost. Things quickly go down hill when aliens appear from the objects and attack the city. What was originally an evacuation becomes a rescue operation when the troops are ordered to head to a police station where civilians are holding up and take them back to the forward operations base. They are under a time limit though because in three hours the air force is going to level L.A. because the aliens apparently have no aircraft of their own. The make it to the police station and find that their are only two adults and two children still alive. But when the three ours are over, the bombs don't come falling down, and the soldiers start to realize that things maybe a lot worse than they had expected.
The first thing I noticed about the film is that it isn't designed as specifically an alien invasion film, but also a war film. It may not make much sense in writing, but it is really noticeable in the film. Rather than it being about the whole idea of an invasion, it is more about a war where one side is a group of alien invaders. It also avoids many of the huge wide angle shots that make up most of the time in alien films. Instead it uses shaky camera battle scenes in the deteriorating streets of L.A. This is very different from most invasion films, and I kind of enjoyed it. But as you can see from my rating of it, it wasn't perfect. And one of the things I stated earlier caused me a lot of problems when I was watching. This was the shaky camera. For those who don't know; the shaky camera is a technique used in films when the director wants to either make the film seem more realistic or make the entire audience puke out the popcorn they were just eating.
And the movie is so repetative! I mean, really repetative! It's actually really annoying because it isn't even repeating creative things as if the writers were like, "Hey, thats a good idea! Lets reuse it, like, five times throughout the movie." The things they were repeating were stupid clitches that didn't even want to see once, let alone 5 more times throughout the movie! Another thing that got on my nurves was Aaron Eckhart. I didn't find that he really fit in with the movie. I don't really know why, but it really feel like he shouldn't have been in the movie.
In the end, I'd have to say... meh. I mean, it wasn't anything special and anything original in it became old really fast. If it had relied less on war and alien invasion movie clichés it might have been more entertaining than it ended up being. But it's too late for that, so I've gotta say, It's a 50/50 chance that you'll find enjoyment out of this film. So, if you like those odds than go see it, but I wouldn't personally recommend it.

Steve K

Good: It's better than Skyline.
Bad: That's not saying much.
All the elements are there but it never gels into the film it is trying to be.… MoreGood: It's better than Skyline.
Bad: That's not saying much.
All the elements are there but it never gels into the film it is trying to be. Having so many thin, stupid characters just makes it worse.

Max Coombes

This film rides on comparisons to Independence Day, but in the end these comparisons merely point out the film's weaknesses. Independence Day promoted an… MoreThis film rides on comparisons to Independence Day, but in the end these comparisons merely point out the film's weaknesses. Independence Day promoted an everyman patriotism where trailer trash, scientist, president, and soldier were all heroes in equal measure. Battle: Los Angeles makes sure that there's a hierarchy in which soldiers are at the top.
Updated for the times, however, Battle: Los Angeles makes statements about violence in the media which were also looked at in Hurt Locker. Soldiers form around a TV to watch a news broadcast on the violence that they will soon face. By the time they're fighting, we get Call of Duty like point of view shots, which is a stab at the audience for being so fascinated by violence in video games and needing it as a mediator. The difference is that Hurt Locker abandoned its focus on reality for the sake of artfulness half way through, whereas Battle: Los Angeles knowingly embraces the unreality of its time and form.

William Sleet

Most assuredly a candidate for the worst film ever made. But, worse than that, the most painfully boring film I have ever seen... probably. Utterly redundant on… MoreMost assuredly a candidate for the worst film ever made. But, worse than that, the most painfully boring film I have ever seen... probably. Utterly redundant on every level.
So glad I never saw it at the flics - I would certainly have broken rule No. 1 of McKittrick's Law: Never walk out on a film.

xGary Xx

A squad of US Marines are sent into war-torn Los Angeles to rescue a group of stranded civilians during an alien invasion. The comparisons to Independence Day… MoreA squad of US Marines are sent into war-torn Los Angeles to rescue a group of stranded civilians during an alien invasion. The comparisons to Independence Day are obvious, but Battle: Los Angeles takes itself far more seriously than Roland Emmerich's fun-filled cheese fest. In fact Johnathan Liebesman has clearly seen Black Hawk Down one too many times and I suspect that writer Christopher Bertolini gets slightly tumescent every time he sees an army recruitment poster. It's basically just a generic war film with added aliens but the script makes the usual mistake of concentrating on action rather than story, resulting in a bunch of characters that are introduced only through ten minutes of soap opera at the beginning and never interact again apart from bellowing military jargon at each other punctuated by teary-eyed flag saluting and laughably sentimental cliches. This means that although the action sequences are very impressive, it's pretty hard to care what happens to anybody so any emotional drama or suspense instantly evaporates. It's nowhere near as wretched as Skyline, but little more than a corny old John Wayne war movie with a face lift, this film is a joyless, mechanical affair that is sorely missing what makes a B-Movie work; namely a sense of spectacle and most importantly of all, fun.

Cynthia S.

3 3/4 stars. I rather enjoyed this. Good afternoon entertainment. Well done. Good acting. Good action. Definitley one of the better alien invasion movies that… More3 3/4 stars. I rather enjoyed this. Good afternoon entertainment. Well done. Good acting. Good action. Definitley one of the better alien invasion movies that came out at this time.

Candy Rose

It's like war of the worlds. The Earth is under attack by alien forces. An army platoon fight back in the last city standing - Los Angeles. Good special… MoreIt's like war of the worlds. The Earth is under attack by alien forces. An army platoon fight back in the last city standing - Los Angeles. Good special affects. Defo a guy's movie. Lots of action and explosions.